A Nevada rancher who became a conservative folk hero for standing up to the government in a fight over grazing rights lost some of his staunch defenders after wondering aloud whether blacks might have had it better under slavery.

Republican politicians from around the country who have rallied to Cliven Bundy’s defence in recent weeks denounced the comments and distanced themselves from the rancher. They included potential 2016 presidential contender U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and U.S. Senator Dean Heller of Nevada. Democrats were also quick to pounce on the comments and label Mr. Bundy a racist.

They didn’t get no more freedom. They got less freedom

The 67-year-old has gone from a little-known rancher and melon farmer in rural Nevada to a national political star since he resisted the federal government’s attempts to round up his cattle from federal land because he had not paid grazing fees for two decades.

His supporters, especially those on the right, praised him for standing up to what they believe is a heavy-handed federal government. Several armed militia members travelled to the Bundy ranch, about 130 kilometres from Las Vegas, in support of the father of 14.

The rancher’s controversial comments were first published in The New York Times on Wednesday.

“I want to tell you one more thing I know about the Negro,” Mr. Bundy said in that interview.

He recalled driving past a public-housing project in North Las Vegas, “and in front of that government house the door was usually open and the older people and the kids — and there is always at least a half a dozen people sitting on the porch — they didn’t have nothing to do. They didn’t have nothing for their kids to do. They didn’t have nothing for their young girls to do.

“And because they were basically on government subsidy, so now what do they do?” he asked.

“They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. And I’ve often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn’t get no more freedom. They got less freedom.”

Thursday, he called a news conference that was supposed to address the public outrage, but his comments did little to tamp down the controversy.

“His remarks on race are offensive, and I wholeheartedly disagree with him,” Mr. Paul said.

Mr. Heller, who last week called the rancher’s defenders “patriots” for their stand against the government, “completely disagrees with Mr. Bundy’s appalling and racist statements, and condemns them in the most strenuous way,” said his spokeswoman, Chandler Smith.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat who last week described Bundy supporters as “domestic terrorists,” also spoke out against Mr. Bundy’s words.

“Today, Bundy revealed himself to be a hateful racist,” Mr. Reid said. “But by denigrating people who work hard and play by the rules while he mooches off public land, he also revealed himself to be a hypocrite.”

Mr. Bundy says he doesn’t recognize federal authority over lands around his property his cattle have grazed on for years.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) claims the animals are trespassing on the fragile Gold Butte habitat set aside for the endangered desert tortoise and says Mr. Bundy has racked up about $1.1-million in fees and penalties since 1993.

Supporters rushed to Mr. Bundy’s ranch after a YouTube video showed federal agents using a stun gun on his son during a BLM roundup of the family’s cattle. The resulting armed standoff became so tense bureau agents and contractors called off the weeklong roundup, released about 350 animals and left the area April 12.

Federal officials have said the agency would pursue unspecified administrative and judicial remedies, but BLM officials have not provided details.

Rob Mrowka, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity, which has been battling to get Mr. Bundy to move his cattle to protect the tortoises, said the standoff had come to symbolize divisions across the country about the role of government, particularly in the West.

“It’s symbolic of the polarization and divide within the country that we saw starting with the Obama election,” he said. “This is merely a surrogate for bigger issue and topic in America today — it’s the whole idea of federalism versus states.”

The federal government owns 85% of the land in Nevada, a statistic repeatedly noted by Mr. Bundy’s supporters as they denounced the actions of the government. Six cattle died during the attempt to collect the animals.